Three Sisters Park is offering students, families, and farm-enthusiasts a hands-on opportunity to learn about the agricultural history of Central Illinois, with interactive demonstrations on soil preparation, seed selection, and corn planting using 1918 techniques and horse-drawn equipment.

Six educational stations will be set up to teach about how our forefathers went about the corn planting process.  Choose a station below for a description of what awaits:

Station #1:
Draft horses will be used to show how the land was plowed and prepared for the planting.  Some individuals will be given the opportunity to try their hand at plowing and driving the horses.  They may also be given the chance to try to pull the plow themselves with a towrope.

Station #2:
Horse handling and corn planting techniques will be demonstrated using horses, check wire, stakes, and a planter.  Visitors can help load the seed corn into the antique planter and help move the check wire.  They can also plant corn using manual seed planters.

Station #3:
Before learning to pick corn by hand, students will learn how
to quickly identify a good prospective seed ear.  As they pick the corn,
they will throw the prospective seed ears in a small seed box and toss the
other ears in a moving horse-drawn wagon.

Station #4 - 5:
In the park's pavilion, visitors will learn about seed preparation in the early 1900's.  They will select and shell the seed corn using various types of old shellers.  They will prepare germination tests which can be completed at home or at school.  They will also learn to read germination tests already in progress.  The difference between open-pollinated hybrid seeds will be explained.

Station #6:
Visitors will learn about draft horses and their importance on early Illinois farms. They will see how draft horse teams were harnessed and learn about how farmers treated them with great care. Classes will even compete in a horse harnessing relay race, using life-size “dummy” horses!

To register your class for a field trip please call 274-8837 or e-mail ccassidy@threesisterspark.com sponsored by: